


This Time, the Woods are Plotting

by invisible_aliens



Series: Carry On Countdown 2018 [9]
Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Love Confessions, M/M, the wavering wood, which I seem to write about a lot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-09-06 07:07:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16827637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/invisible_aliens/pseuds/invisible_aliens
Summary: Baz goes for a walk in the Wavering Wood. Simon follows to see what he's plotting. But it's the Wood that's really plotting, and it doesn't want them to leave. Not yet, anyway.Written for the Carry On Countdown 2018, Day 9: Sunset / Sunrise





	This Time, the Woods are Plotting

**Author's Note:**

> The sunset / sunrise isn't a major part of the story, but it is important.

**SIMON**

I pretend to be having an afternoon sleep as I wait for Baz to leave. He's been going out in the afternoons a lot recently, and I want to check out what he's really up to. (He only leaves whenever he thinks I won't notice, hence the fake-sleeping.)

He might be going to feed. But, just in case he's plotting something, cooking up a plan with the rest of the old families to put an end to me, I want to follow him. (He's Baz. He's always plotting, no matter what Penny says.)

I wait until I hear the door at the bottom of Mummers House close again before I open the door to our room and sprint down the stairs (I'm not sure what anyone would think if they saw me…)

I wait a few moments at the bottom before I slowly open the door to the outside, and poke my head out to see where Baz has gone.

He's walking casually towards the drawbridge.

He's heading for the Great Lawn. I have to wait by the wall for a while, as there's no cover on the Lawn. I first I think he's heading for the football pitch (maybe he isn't plotting, after all…) but he keeps walking.

Is he going out into the _Wood_? (Definitely plotting. He always feeds in the catacombs.)

It's not too hard to follow him, because he's not expecting it. (I'm the only one who would have even realised he's up to something, and he thinks I'm asleep.)

Trailing him through the Wood is easier in a way, because there's plenty of cover. But it's also hard not to make a sound. I don't want to be caught.

The time I followed him into the catacombs, he was just going to feed, and I didn't have a proper explanation for being there. This time, I'll be smarter. I won't reveal myself until I have proper proof, and maybe not even then. If he's meeting with someone, I'll stay hidden and report back to the Mage later.

It’s all going well until I step on a particularly loud branch. Baz spins around, and his eyes catch mine.

_Shit._

  


**BAZ**

It was a nice afternoon, and I'd finished most of my homework, so I had decided to go for a walk in the Wood, and hopefully I'd find a deer to feed on so I wouldn't have to go to the catacombs later to feed in the rats (I'm sick of rats).

Our workload had been dwindling over the last few weeks, and I'd been making a switch from night time visits to the catacombs to afternoon visits to the Wood. I wasn't sure if Snow had noticed yet, but I'd tried to go when I thought he might not notice (even a slight change in my routine and he's on me in a second, accusing me of plotting and all manner of ghastly things.)

So even though I thought he'd been completely asleep when I left, I'm not surprised when I turn around and see Snow standing there, half behind a tree.

“Snow,” I spit, “why the fuck are you following me?”

(I know why, of course, it's always the same reason, even if he won't admit it.)

“You're up to something,” he says.

“I'm not plotting,” I say mildly, walking over to him. “I just came for a nice walk in the Wood.”

“You must be plotting! You always are,” he insists.

I don't want to say I came to feed. Yes, he knows I'm a vampire, but I still can't admit it.

“Who are you meeting?” he asks.

“You think… I'm not meeting anyone! Do you know how ridiculous you sound?”

I start to walk away. “I'm going to continue my walk. I'll see you this evening.”

He runs after me. “Well I'm coming too. If you're not doing any suspicious, you won't mind if I join you.”

Of course I fucking mind. But I don't want to give him any more excuses to accuse me, so I don't say anything.

And I have to admit, there is something nice about going for a walk with Snow. He's too embarrassed to say much, so I just enjoy having him with me, scrambling over the logs and brushing past every bush as he tries to keep up with my deliberately fast pace. (I'm hoping he'll give up and leave me alone so I can feed. Not that I want him to leave).

But all my fast walking and getting distracted by Simon just creates another problem.

We are hopelessly lost.

  


**SIMON**

We've been walking for a while when Baz suddenly stops.

“What is it?” I ask.

“Nothing. Just stopping for a little rest.” He's looking all around.

“Did you hear something?” I ask, ready to summon my sword.

“No, no, nothing like that. It's getting late, though, we should probably head back before the drawbridge is pulled up.”

He turns around and hesitantly starts walking back the way we came. (Thankfully at a much more sensible pace this time.)

But it doesn't take me long to realise Baz has no idea of the way back.

“We're lost, aren't way?” I say glumly.

“Well… Yes.” He sighs.” This is your fault!”

“I was just following you!”

“Exactly,” he says, like that explains everything, but I'm still confused.

When we pass the same three stump for the third time in a row, I point it out to Baz.

“How can we be going around in circles?” he asks, furious. The sun's already set, so whatever happens now, we're stuck out here for the night.(I should probably be angry about being stuck with Baz for the night, but since we share a bedroom, I'm used to it by now.)

“It must be the Wood. It's magical, after all. It must not want us to leave for some reason.”

“Why the hell not?” he shouts, kicking at a tree.

To our surprise, it answers him. “The two of you have a lot to talk about. You cannot leave this Wood until all that must be told has been said.”

“ _All that must be told has been said_? What the hell does that mean?” asks Baz, but the tree doesn't want to talk any more.

“Maybe you have to admit you're a vampire,” I say.

But Baz refuses to say anything, and keeps walking. According to his watch, it's ten o'clock before he finally gives up and we sit against a tree together.

“You have to admit it. What else could either of us have to say to each other that we haven't said before?”

“Stay here,” he growls, getting up.

“Where are you going?” I ask.

“Away from you.”

When he gets back, I could swear his cheeks look redder, although it's hard to tell with only the moonlight.

“You went to feed, didn't you?” I say.

He's silent for a moment.

“Alright! Yes, I went to feed. You were right, I'm am vampire. But I sure as hell didn't choose to be, and I wish I wasn't. Can we go now?”

He stalks off again, but this time I follow. I don't know what to say, so I don't say anything.

It hasn't worked.

“What else could we need to tell each other?” I wonder.

Baz ignores me, and instead tries to spell our way out, but that doesn't work either.

“Fine,” he says, “I'll say what the Wood wants me to say.”

He turns towards me. “I… I love you Simon. I love you so much it hurts. I've loved you for years.”

And before I can even begin to process what he's said, he runs off, and leaves me alone with my shock.

Baz is in _love_ with me?

With _me_?

But Baz _hates_ me. He's tried to kill me on multiple occasions.

He's always hated me, and I've always hated him.

...Haven't I?

Baz stomps back to where I'm still sitting, my thoughts whirling.

“It didn't work,” he mumbles.

He looks like he's going to try and pretend what he said was a joke, but instead he lies down on the leaves around us and falls asleep.

I stay awake, thinking.

**BAZ**

The ground's very uncomfortable, so I don't sleep for very long. The sun still hasn't come up, so even if we could get out of the blasted Wood we still couldn't get back into Watford.

I can't believe I told Simon I love him. And it didn't even work.

_I told him for no reason._

I sit up, groaning in annoyance. My legs feel stiff, and my hip is sore from the hard ground.

Snow's still sitting against a tree, awake.

“Did you even bother to try sleeping?” I ask. (Maybe if I pretend I didn't say anything last night he'll think he imagined it.)

He shrugs. “I think I know what I'm meant to tell you to get out of here.”

He takes a deep breath. “Baz… I love you too.”

I stare at him. “You're making this up,” I say, ready to fight him. (There's no Anathema here.)

But the trees around have changed.

We're at the edge of the Wood. I can see the football pitch, and near the just-rising sun, the wall around Watford, with the drawbridge beginning to rise. Which means…

 _Which means Simon loves me. He loves me back_.

I'm glad he followed me after all.


End file.
